A research on effectiveness of Facebook advertising on enhancing purchase intention of consumers

•To identify consumer perceptions towards social media advertising approach and relationship to developing brand image for companies.•Examine how Facebook advertising impacts user likelihood of elaboration in regards to generate further messages from a brand.

The present study aimed to examine the effectiveness of advertisements in enhancing consumers’ purchasing intention on Facebook in 2013. It is an applied study in terms of its goals, and a descriptive survey one in terms of methodology. The statistical population included all undergraduate students in Cypriot universities. An 11-item researcher-made questionnaire was used to compare and analyze the effectiveness of advertisements. Data analysis was carried out using SPSS17, the parametric statistical method of t-test, and the non-parametric Friedman test. The results of the study showed that Facebook advertising significantly affected brand image and brand equity, both of which factors contributed to a significant change in purchasing intention.